Winthrop rolls to 33-0 victory over Revere

WINTHROP – All the talk leading up to Thanksgiving morning left the impression that the 83rd Turkey Day clash between Revere and Winthrop at Miller Field would be a classic battle. The host Vikings apparently didn’t get caught up in all the pre-game hype.Click here for a photo gallery of this game.Behind a huge rushing day from the two-headed monster of senior Mitchell Paulson (90 yards, 2 TD) and sophomore Jordan Corbett-Frank (85 yards, receiving TD), the Vikings (6-5) dominated the Patriots en route to a 33-0 victory.Revere (5-6) came into the game with the weight of their first winning season since 1981 weighing on their shoulders. A nearly flawless first half from the Vikings was enough to sink the visitors.”We were outhustled on both sides of the ball,” Revere coach Lou Cicatelli said. “Defensively, we just couldn’t stop them. They were clearly the better team today. I congratulate them. They played a very good game.”After forcing a three and out on their first defensive stand, the Vikings’ offense turned to a ground and pound approach to get the scoreboard working. Paulson and Corbett-Frank alternated carries down the field before the former broke in for a 6-yard score with five minutes to go in the first quarter.The Vikings’ defense made their physical presence felt on Revere’s second drive with a few loud hits before taking over once more. The Vikings, once again, relied on the aforementioned duo to carry the load into the second quarter.Corbett-Frank broke free for a 30-yard scamper into the red zone before Paulson took in his second touchdown of the half on a 1-yard run. Senior Quinton Dale (3-for-4 on PAT’s) nailed the extra point. The ensuing kick-off was the dagger in the Patriots’ heart.Winthrop coach Sean Driscoll called for an onside kick, which Dale executed to perfection, resulting in another Winthrop possession.”I really think it was the turning point,” said Driscoll of the risky, but successful play call. “I think it showed we were ready and had come to play.”Nine plays after the recovery, another running back got in on the scoring. Junior Robert Diaz rumbled his way into the endzone from 4-yards out to put the hosts comfortably ahead. Senior quarterback Jimmy Barker made sure his running backs didn’t steal all the glory on the next drive, well kind of.Barker connected with Corbett-Frank for a 35-yard touchdown with just 11 seconds to go in the half. A sneaky 2-point conversion pass failed, but the Vikings went into the locker room to a standing ovation and a 26-point cushion.A few uncharacteristic penalties tainted the Vikings’ first drive of the half before Revere grabbed a little momentum when Barker was picked off. Winthrop’s “D” stood tall again and got the ball back and let Paulson take over once more. The senior ripped off a 30-yard gain before finding the endzone for the third time two plays later.One more Revere drive would fail before the Vikings could waste the clock. The seniors were pulled, so they could hear the crowd’s appreciation for their commitment to the program one last time.The scoreboard may not have reflected it, but Revere had a lot to be thankful for as well, despite not reaching the .500 mark. The Patriots won five of their first six games before falling to some strong teams in the second half.Senior running back Drew Lauria, who finished the year with over 1,000 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, couldn’t get in a rhythm against Winthrop’s stingy defense, which pitched its first shutout of the year. Doing so on Thanksgiving is special and Driscoll knows it.